Flexible wall, ceiling, and surface covering.



c. R. FRANTZ. FLEXIBLE WALL, CEILING, AND SURFAGE COVBRING.

APP'LIOTION FILED DEO. 10, 1907.

Patented Ot.5,1909.

. Manned/Lto@ y @amm Qc@ altro-neus v `cement material from pen 11o-amica es.,

ingprocess.

A. L?. and u-,

concern: I Be y.it @known 'that I, CARoLrN-n h Y p RQFVRANTZ, citizen- Ioff the g United States,

residing at ',Wilm'ingftoin in thief-'county of Newcastle and y have invented vcertain iState Delaware, Y -neweand useful improvements in- Flexible Wall, Ceilingyand Surface Coverings, of which the fol-lowing' is -a specification., My invention relates to Wall coverings and consists of an article made fromone or more sheets of paper with an enamel orlpaint faeing and waterproof backing, as fully set forth hereinafter and as illustrated in the aceonipan vinp,` drawing, in which:

Figure l. is a sectional Viewl illustrating my improved Wall covering;l Fie. 2 a face View showing the arrangement olthe diller ent layers when the body of the article consists of a plurality of lz rs.

In the manuf;I :tf re 01' that class of Wall Coverings` in which a body sheet of paper is coated with enamel it is found that 'the paper will stretch when inoistened and that the coating` is cracked or crazed, and further the stretching interferes with the proper matching of the pattern in applying the sheets or strips side byV side on the wWall. This defect can be more or less overcome with some grades of thinner papers by the use of size in the manufacture or the )l per,v but AWhere the paper is thick and hed-v sizing is not suiiieient', and therefore apply direetlyto the back of the material a coating oi Waterproof varnish other suitable Waterfwf coating. Thus the body strip o of paper, Fig. l, of one or more thicknesses, has ap-v plied to the outer face a suitable coating I), as enamel. lnpractice l use enamel made of oXid of Zinc and sulfate of zine ground with white varnish and refined lii'iseed -oil and @um resin, The proportions used are such as nf'illresult in a thick coat, the surfaee of which is properly finished, or erna-- iu' any sf table' manner, and te the applied the coating' 2 of Waterprool material, either before or after the lirst coat- 'lhis baul: coating; not onljgf in preventingthe stretching@ of the h., -ly vportion a and the Cracking" or erazing oifthe coating' and preserves the form or' the article, but l Y the r Lher advantage of preventing moisture iu me Wall or in the. pasting; or

body paper, which would cause enamel to peel ofi.

Speicieaton of `Letters l'atent. applicati@ sied December io,v iss-7.,

y rammen our. s, ieee.

semi No. osera An ordinary spirit-varnish applied to the back of `the sheet would present smooth glazed surface to which 'the Water pas'. i or cement used for securing-*whe paper "o the wall would not properly adhere. A spirit or 'Waterproof varnish however is very desirable on account of its resistance to moisture, and to permit` its use and at the same time insure proper adhesion ol the paste or cement l make use of a composition of spirit or Waterproof varnish and mineral matter in a inely powderedcondition, as lime, or gypsum, or like material, the mineral matter being used in such proportion tothe varnish as to secure an opaque4 coating. I lhave found that such a coating is fully Waterproof, does not era-ek, prevents stretching of the paper body and that the Water paste or cement will adhere firmly thereto, and that in connection with the surface coating of enamel ou the paper it forms a pro teo-tive Wall coveringl which is stili?, rigid and hard and yet readily' applied to the wall. To secure yet `greater body and stillness hou ever and especially to further aid in preventw ing' streteliing and the eraeking of the enamel, permitting;` a thick coating of enamel to he used when the body a. is thiol-ti and lieu-ry, l 'make the body a in layers by oemeiiting or otlierwise securing together two or more strips l, 2, Fig'. 2, with the grain of one strip at an angle to the grain or the other. Sis is well known paper has a f grain and will swell or Widen under the influence oil moisture in a direct-ion trans verse to the grain, and bythus using a plurality of superposed sheets or strips, cemented or pasted together during` -or after F'the process of i'nanufaeture of the paper, one strfi serves to bind and hold the neXt so that distentiou in any d'rection and curling et the edge 1 prevented. As shown in Figthe grain of the layer l is at right angles to that oil" the layer rlhe enamel as above deseribed is only Water-proof, but, While it can be made of any desired thickness, it

suitlicieutl flexible to permit the Wall covering to l rolled, and bent Within desired il Wall oeil c; sheet or portion of paperhavingapplied to its back a waterproof oomposition having a roughened surface oontaining sufficient finely powdered mineral matter to insure the proper adhesion of paste or cement.

2. A wall ceiling or surface covering consisting of a body sheet or portion of stiff hard paper having applied to its back a waterproof composition containing suioient finely powdered mineral matter to produce an opaque eject and sufficientroughness to insure the proper adhesion of paste or cement.

3. A wall ceiling or surface covering consisting of a body sheet or portion of stiff hard paper having applied to its back a waterproof composition containing sufficient finely powdered rock to produce suioient roughness to insure the proper adhesion of paste or cement.

4c. A wall ceiling or surface Covering oonsisting of a body sheet or port-ion of paper and a back coating of waterproof material having on its surface ridges of finely powdered mineral matter mixed therewith to insure adhesion of paste or cement.

5. A Wall ceiling or surface covering consisting of a body sheet or stiff paper7 a surface coating of enamel and a back coating of waterproof material having at its surface ridges of iinely powdered mineral matter mixed therewith to insure adhesion of paste or cement.

6. A wall, ceiling or surface covering oonsisting of a body sheet. or portion yof paper having applied to its back a Waterproof composition having on its' surface separated ridges containing finely powdered mineral matter to insure the adhesion of ,paste or cement.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

,AROLINE R. FRANTZ.

Vitnesses Aar-HUI: R. Fimx'rz, Manna M i L'roN. 

